The present invention relates generally to a method and apparatus for containing spills of liquid material, and, more particularly, to a collapsible spill containment bag and a method of using the same.
The highway transportation of hazardous and non-hazardous liquid chemical and petroleum products is a thriving industry in this and other countries with literally billions of gallons of such products being transported annually. Tanker trucks having liquid transporting systems are normally utilized to effect the transport of these materials and will sometimes develop leaks in their valves or tanks, thereby permitting the liquid material contained therein to escape to the outside environment in the form of a liquid spill.
Numerous statutes have been enacted which provide for monetary fines against operators of tanker trucks if a defect in the liquid transporting system is found and/or a liquid spill occurs. The operators may also be required to absorb the cost of the cleanup of the liquid spill. Heretofore, the transportation industry has not had a simple readily available means to contain these leakage problems to minimize their environmental impact.
Hazardous and non-hazardous liquid materials are also transported and stored in large cylindrical barrels or drums which have a tendency to leak as a result of improper manufacturing techniques, improper or abusive handling thereof or chemical reactions within the materials stored. It has been the practice of the industry to place a barrel with a leakage problem in an oversized barrel or drum commonly called an "overpack", thereby containing the leaking material. However, these "overpacks" are quite expensive to purchase, very difficult to store and extremely cumbersome to handle. Therefore, it would be desirable to provide a system to handle these leaking barrels which would alleviate the inconveniences presented by the "overpack" drums.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a novel spill containment bag and method of using the same which is readily usable to contain a spill of liquid material.
It is also an object to provide such a containment bag and method which may be used quickly to minimize the environmental impact of a liquid spill.
Another object is to provide such a bag which can be readily and relatively economically fabricated and a method which can be readily practiced without special equipment.